Monday, September 16 2013

The University of Idaho Pale Cyst Nematode (PCN) Project has received a grant of $436,529 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), for the project “Trap Crop and Biological Control Agents to Replace Methyl Bromide for Eradication of Globodera pallida. The pale cyst nematode, G. pallida, is a serious quarantine pest of potato, found only (in the U.S.) in the state of Idaho. PCN Project Director Louise-Marie Dandurand, PSES department, will lead a team of researchers investigating methods to eradicate this important agricultural pest, using methods other than the fumigant methyl bromide, including trap crops, biological control strategies, and economic analysis of control measures. Other investigators on the proposal include Paul Patterson, Guy Knudsen, Pamela Hutchinson and Allan Caplan from UI’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and James LaMondia of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Dandurand notes that the competitive success of the proposal was significantly enhanced by the strong support shown by the Idaho Potato Commission. More information on UI’s PCN Project is available at http://uidaho.edu/pcn.